V/M did seem a bit slow and labored for some reason. Seemed they were skating behind the music as well. This program is well constructed but it seems a bit too hard for them to do it seamlessly. The lift at the end of the program was very shaky. It was like Tessa was about to tip over. She is not a petite woman like the Italian girl or Davis, so sometimes the lifts come off looking awkward and goofy if they don't do them just right.

The problem is not that Tessa is big, it's that Tessa and Scott are very close to being the same height. So lifts that White and Lanotte do easily with much smaller partners don't work as well when partners are equal in size.

Ever wondered what Virtue/Moir's (SD) Waltz and Polka to “The Waltz Goes On” by Anthony Hopkins was about? Tessa explained at yesterdays press conference: “I think pretty clearly in the beginning of the piece there are certainly minor tones in the music that we wanted to take upon for my character. We have played a lot of different storylines, but there is certainly something very upsetting and emotionally disturbed about my character and Scott has been trying to cheer me up, and as the program progresses, through the polka, it starts to heal through the love of dance and it kind of becomes a love story”

The problem is not that Tessa is big, it's that Tessa and Scott are very close to being the same height. So lifts that White and Lanotte do easily with much smaller partners don't work as well when partners are equal in size.

I like that Tessa's a different body type from the other ice dancers. It shows the beauty of variety. (And make no mistake: this lady is stunning.) Almost the first thing I noticed about Tessa years ago was the way she projected strength as well as delicacy. I also love that the size differential between her and Scott is less, because it shows that compatibility can be expressed in many ways. Why should there be an ice dancing "type," anyway?

I like that Tessa's a different body type from the other ice dancers. It shows the beauty of variety. (And make no mistake: this lady is stunning.) Almost the first thing I noticed about Tessa years ago was the way she projected strength as well as delicacy. I also love that the size differential between her and Scott is less, because it shows that compatibility can be expressed in many ways. Why should there be an ice dancing "type," anyway?

I agree. One of V/M's distinctive attributes is their matching lines. Tessa has long, gorgeous arms from her ballet training that match Scott's.

Dance has become a very physical and exacting sport. A decent size differential is a plus if you can get it, hence Elena's noticeable weight loss this season..

I think in the judges minds comparisons are being made to 2010 Tessa and today's Tessa. But how do you do that when your genes will not allow you to have that body type. The girl is in no way heavy, just not petite. So is it that the rules of COP need to be adjusted to be more balanced? If not IMHO it might be easier to just enjoy each pair for what they have to offer. What would be great to see at one competition, in this season, is each couple skating their absolute best though.

woah let's talk. I think you mentioned before that english is not your native language, so I hope that this is a lost in translation moment where you did not intend to come off as harsh and mean as you did.

The problem is not that Tessa is big, it's that Tessa and Scott are very close to being the same height. So lifts that White and Lanotte do easily with much smaller partners don't work as well when partners are equal in size.

They could always change it up, and let Tessa lift Scott ala that French Olympic champion team (can't remember the spelling of their name right now and too lazy to look it up)
I can envision V/M with an Olympic program skated to 'Xena: Warrior Princess'......

Ever wondered what Virtue/Moir's (SD) Waltz and Polka to “The Waltz Goes On” by Anthony Hopkins was about? Tessa explained at yesterdays press conference: “I think pretty clearly in the beginning of the piece there are certainly minor tones in the music that we wanted to take upon for my character. We have played a lot of different storylines, but there is certainly something very upsetting and emotionally disturbed about my character and Scott has been trying to cheer me up, and as the program progresses, through the polka, it starts to heal through the love of dance and it kind of becomes a love story”

So Virtue is portraying volatile characters in both SD and FD this season -- playing against type.

Aren't ice dancers supposed to be portraying the character of the music rather than some persona they have made up? The problem with the SD is that it isn't clear to the viewer exactly who Tessa is supposed to be. There really isn't enough time in a SD to fully develop a character that isn't necessarily related to the music. Essentially an SD is a technical piece, not a FD. V/M aren't getting their levels in the step sequences and perhaps it would be better to focus on tech than on a miscellaneous story line that doesn't quite get across.

Annisina/Peizarat did the reverse lifts. As did Faiella/Scali. The current team of Hurtado/Diaz actually uses a reverse lift as their opening lift.

I hope to see more improvement from V/M - let them bring the house down in London. As much as I want them to win the GPF, that title is more important (he repeats to himself over and over again to let it sink in).

Actually, the big story should be C/L jumping ahead of the two Russian teams and winning the night on levels (they also won the SD on levels as well). Given team Canton's struggle, I think we can comment that Shpilband definitely was a key point in them getting those marks.

Aren't ice dancers supposed to be portraying the character of the music rather than some persona they have made up? The problem with the SD is that it isn't clear to the viewer exactly who Tessa is supposed to be. There really isn't enough time in a SD to fully develop a character that isn't necessarily related to the music. Essentially an SD is a technical piece, not a FD. V/M aren't getting their levels in the step sequences and perhaps it would be better to focus on tech than on a miscellaneous story line that doesn't quite get across.

Every piece of music doesn't HAVE to be a love story!

They got a level three in the non-touch (as did D/W) and a level four on the Polka (which D/W didn't get). I'd argue that given they've changed all of their step sequences to get the levels, they are in fact focusing on technical.